1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a method of preparing cationic dextrin.
2. Description of the Related Art
Starch is a large biopolymer composed of glucose molecules linked by α-1,4 and α-1,6 glycosidic bonds in nature, and provides 70% to 80% of calories consumed by man. Starch is as important raw material widely used in food as well as other industrial applications. Thus, starch can be modified by physical or chemical methods to prepare various starches having specific physical properties as well as inherent properties thereof.
Dextrin is a hydrolysis product generated in an intermediate stage from starch to maltose when starch is hydrolyzed by acid, heat, enzymes, and so on. Dextrin is a generic term for polysaccharides having a smaller molecular weight than starch, and is also referred to as starch gum. Dextrin includes a broad range of polysaccharides from soluble starches having a high molecular weight to polysaccharides having a low molecular weight, which do not react with iodine. Further, processed dextrin obtained by concentrating and drying dextrin is also called dextrin. Industrially, starch is hydrolyzed primarily by acids or heat, and three kinds of dextrin, i.e., white dextrin, light yellow dextrin, and yellow dextrin, are produced according to the degree of hydrolysis. White dextrin is dissolved in an amount of 40% or more in cold water, and completely dissolved in hot water. White dextrin can be mainly as finishing glues for silk or as an excipient for drugs. Light yellow dextrin and yellow dextrin are readily soluble in cold water and have a low viscosity, and thus can be used as glues for use in offices, aqueous paints, baking substances, excipients for drugs or caking additives for briquettes, and the like.
As a raw material for dextrin, starch may be processed into starch acetate (Korean Patent No. 10-0893568), hydroxypropylated starch (Korean Patent No. 10-0887699), crosslinked starch, and the like for industrial application. However, methods for processing dextrin are not as diverse as though for processing starch.
In studying a method of processing dextrin, the present inventors have found that cationic dextrin can be prepared by adding water, a cationization agent, a reaction initiator, and the like to dextrin, and reacting the same under specific temperature and pressure conditions. The present inventors have completed the present invention on the basis of these findings.